Review: Bamboo Anti-Breakage Thermal Protectant Spray

Mouthful, right? This product is pretty much your typical heat protectant, nothing really special about it. Don't get me wrong, it works. I've had heat protectants that don't protect my hair at all. This one does. One thing it doesn't do,  it doesn't heal my already broken hair. I guess that's a long stretch, but I think the perfect heat protectant would be something that did that well. Something else I don't like about it is that it doesn't protect my hair 100%. What I mean is that after a couple weeks, I notice that my hair has gone dead again.
Although it says to use on damp hair, I've found myself spraying it in when my hair is dry right before I straighten it. I think it works. If you spray too much in, it will make your hair look greasy, but if you spray the right amount in, I think it protects my hair a lot. Plus, it makes my hair naturally straight, what I mean is that I find my hair looking fuller and healthier when I spray it in dry. Sometimes when I straighten my hair, it turns out flat and dead. Not with this. For that, I praise this product.

Can we just take a moment for the unique packaging!

I'm probably really demanding with my products, but I just know exactly what I want in every product. Overall, I would definitely recommend this product as it is drugstore and does protect to some extent, but it's not the best product I've ever tried.

Until later,
xx, Madison.

What is your favorite heat protectant? I love getting recommendations!

Oscars Recap (2014)

Okay, so the Oscars were awesome. Ellen did a fantastic job as host... the selfie with a lot of the stars that got 2.6+ million retweets *amazing.* The dresses *amazing.* The dresses were so amazing (in my opinion, not one bad fashion mishap) that I decided to do a post on my favorite dresses from last night.

Jennifer Lawrence. I mean obviously. She's the best, my favorite actress. In my eyes, she can do no wrong and her dresses at every award show are always on point. This one is no exception for this one at the Oscars. She was one of the only ones to wear a bright color and it is perfect.

Lupita Nyong'o. So gorgeous. So exquisite. I'm in love with the dress and definitely wish I could pull it off. There are little sparkles in the dress that makes it even more perfect. The simple accessories complete the entire look.

Sandra Bullock. This is my dream prom/awards show dress. Its elegant and had a lot gorgeous detailing, but it wasn't too over the top. And her hair. Perfect. And her jewels. Amazing. I love this entire look as much as I loved Gravity (a lot).

Sally Hawkins. I thought this dress was like something royalty would wear. It has every detail imaginable and they all worked so well together. I loved the long sleeves as well, not many people wore long sleeves and she pulled it off so nicely.

Until later,

xx, Madison.

What was your favorite Oscar dress this year?

Lovely Lilly Pulitzer

It's no secret I love Lilly Pulitzer. Everyone who knows me knows how much I love everything they sell. I wanted to share with you guys some of my favorite things they are selling for this Summer and Spring! I've definitely written way too many posts about the warmer months, but I cannot wait any longer... I'm hating all this snow!

Callahan Short in Pink Pop Southern Charm. I've had these saved as a tab on my laptop for a while now, I'm in love.

Briella Fit and Flare Dress in Pool Blue Southern Charm.
This would be perfect for both a nice dinner and a daytime party. Fit and flare is also key to my body shape.

Keene Bandeau and Surf's Up Bottom in I Herd You. I've never had a Lilly bathing suit, but this Summer I am determined to get one and this one is perfect.

Kristen Leather Wedge. Because every girl needs gold wedges in their wardrobe.

Even though I love pretty much everything in the Lilly store, I thought I would narrow it down to a couple of items.

Until later,

xx, Madison

What are some of your favorite items at Lilly Pulitzer?

(Not So) Lazy Saturdays

My day has consisted of organizing, cleaning, working, babysitting, and catching up on some of my favorite blogs. I tried to fit in a little laying around and watching TV time... Can't you tell? All this can get my stress levels going up and up so it's important to keep myself in the right mindset. I have certain things that I like to do to keep myself in the right mindset and thats what I'm going to share with you today!

Music. Music keeps my mind so calm and relaxed no matter how unrelaxing it may sound. My music style varies to calm Colbie Caillat to extreme pop like One Direction to hard core rap like Kanye West. As of right now, I'm listening to Imagine Dragons's album Night Visions and loving every minute of it. I'm going to their concert in a week from now and so excited (blog post definitely to come).

Running. Now, I didn't go running today probably because its 20 degrees and I'd rather not freeze, but when its not below freezing, I love running to exert any gathered energy and clear my mind.

Showers/Baths. In my mind, both are super relaxing. I know people love just baths for relaxing, but I find both relaxing. Unless I have a lovely Lush product with me, I actually prefer showers.

Reading. This can range anywhere from a chapter out of a book to a celebrity gossip magazine. Today, I was more in the mood for catching up on my People magazines (which I haven't read in forever) and the Free People catalog I got in the mail.

Oscar prepping. Now this only happens once a year and usually lasts around ten minutes. I myself filled out the Oscar ballot I got in the People and discovered this amazing article I found while The Preppy Post Grad's posts. Look how amazing!

Getting comfy. All I did for this was stay in my pajamas all day and sit in bed while typing my posts and reading blogs. It is definitely something I should do more often.

I think the most important thing to do to keep a clear mind is to just not worry. Everything will get done, and everything will be okay at the end of the day no matter how much you have to do on any given day.

Until later,

xx, Madison

What are some of your favorite things to do to keep a clear mind?

Monthly Favorites: February 2014

This month went by fast. Maybe because its only 28 days, but I feel like it went by way faster than that. I don't really know what it was, maybe I was just really busy. Anyways, here are my first monthly favorites of The City's Prep.

1. Bliss Body Butter- This. Is. Amazing. The smell, the texture, everything. My two favorites are the grapefruit + aloe (this one reminds me of summer) and the lemon + sage scents. They are to die for. I normally hate body butters/moisturizers because they always leave my skin sticky for a bit, but these are amazing, they don't leave me feeling sticky at all. There aren't enough words to describe these.

2. Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara- I have heard no one talk about these. It's all about the Falsies mascara from Maybelline, but, whoops, I have never tried any Falsies. I'm always really skeptical about trying new makeup, even if it has the best reviews. Anyways, this mascara is wonderful. I hate when mascara gives off that kind of fake look, but this one makes my lashes look so full, voluminous,  and natural.

3. Bobbi Brown Blush (Washed Rose)- This was given to me as a little freebie when I shopped at the Bobbi Brown counter around a month ago. It's one of their Shimmer Blushes and I love it. It is perfect for having that outdoors Winter look that is exactly what I want for this time of the year. Did I mention how pigmented it was? So pigmented. 

4. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder- Coming home from school, I always look so worn out and all my makeup has worn off. With this powder though, most of it stays (I mean, noting can beat the gross humid air of a classroom) and my face doesn't have a greasy look/feel to it (which is always a plus). I bought mine in the transparent color so I can use it all year round and I definitely will!

5. Clinique "Almost Lipstick" Lipstick- This is one of those thing you have in the back of your makeup drawer and you retry it and you don't know why you forgot about it in the first place. Because of this, mine is in the old packaging (I much prefer the new packaging), but I suspect it's still the same great product. It's a sheer finish, so on the outside it looks scary (It is a dark color), but in reality, it is an amazing pinky, purpley, red. By the way, I'm awful at describing colors. Mine is in Black Honey and I love it so much, it definitely won't get lost in the back of my drawer again.

6. Bobbi Brown Eye Repair Cream- Now, let me just get this straight, I don't have wrinkles or anything. So you may be asking yourself, "Why does she need eye cream?" Well, these are amazing if you have horrible dark circles under your eyes and I find my eyes are so much brighter after applying this. Also, concealer glides on so smoothly with it on which is a big help for the delicate skin underneath the eyes. This was also given to me (a smaller test version obviously) as a freebie at the Bobbi Brown counter.

7. Garnier Intensely Smooth Leave-in Conditioning Cream- This is perfect for frizzy hair. After blow drying my hair, it is so sleek and smooth that I don't even have to straighten it which is amazing because I won't be killing my hair as much as I usually do. It says on the bottle to use the matching shampoo and conditioner, but I don't and it is still amazing. I might have to invest in the other products to see how wonderful they all are together.

I really hope you try these products because they are all worth it.

Until later,
xx, Madison

What were some of your favorite products in February?

*All photos were taken with the Canon EOS Rebel T3i except the Garnier Conditioner as mine is absolutely disgusting.

Happy March!

Perfect Outfits: School (Casual)

I think I'm going to start a "series" as you could call it, for outfits that I might wear to whatever event I'm writing about. Clearly today I'm going to be showing you all what I would wear to school on a more casual day by the the title.

This sweater by Urban Outfitter is my go-to when I need something warm and comfortable. It's amazing.

The leggings... Oh my goodness... They are a dream, definitely worth every penny.

I don't have these boots, but if I did I would definitely wear them everyday. (Tory Burch- I couldn't find them on the website unfortunately)

I hope you enjoyed this quick little post!

Until later,

xx, Madison

What is your go-to comfy outfit for school?

Some Light Reading

I've been reading a lot more recently and I've got some great books to share with you!

1. The Fault in Our Stars: Oh my goodness, this book. It made me cry, laugh, and think - it has great quotes that someone can really be inspired by. If you are only going to read one book on this list, read this one.

2. The Mysterious Benedict Society: This book is so clever, once you've finished reading it, you can't stop thinking of the little details around you. I love it.

3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Its so beautifully written. Words cannot even describe. It shows true friendship and love. And thats what everyone needs.

4. Pretty Little Liars series: Of course this is on here. Yes, its getting dragged on a little too long in my opinion, but its amazingly haunting. Its so unrealistic, its realistic and thats what makes it scary.

5. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: This whole plot line is so cute and the four stories are all so different that it never gets boring.

Please read these if you are looking for something to read! They are all worth it!

Until later,

xx, Madison.

What is your favorite book?